Organ.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PATENTED DEG. 19, 1905.

ORGAN.

E. M. SKINNER.

APPLIOATION FILED Nov. 4. 1902.

r K M `plied with compressed air.

UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

ORGAN.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 19, 1905.

Application filed November 4, 1902. Serial No 130,071.

To fr/ZZ U17/1,071?, it muy concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST M. SKINNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dorchester, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Organs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to organs, and has for its object to increase the combination possibilities of stops belonging to diiferent manuals without the use of couplers.

To this end my invention consists in the features and in the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, where- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, partially in section, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the valve mechanism controlling one of the organpipes of one of the stops. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively sectional views illustrating the automatic duplex or double-acting valve in its two different positions.

In organs as heretofore constructed it has been customary to provide mechanical coupling devices whereby when a register has been drawn out and one of the keys of the organ say, for example, one of the keys of the swellmanual--be struck the corresponding key in the great-organ manual will be enabled to sound the same note in such stop. By means of the improved mechanism which I am about to describe I am enabled to sound a note on any one of the stops or on any combination of stops from either the swell-manual or the great-organ manual and am also enabled to simultaneously sound a note on one combination of stops from the swell-manual and another combination of stops from the greatorgan manual without regard to which manual the stops normally belong.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a wind-chest which is constantly sup- Comprised with or forming a part of said chest is a series of stops 3, 4, 5, and 6, each consisting of a plurality of organ-pipes, it being assumed in the present instance that each stop comprises sixty-one different pipes adapted to sound a corresponding number of different notes. I have illustrated but four different stops in the drawings; but it will of course be understood that any desired number of stops may be provided. For the purpose of illustration it will be assumed that the stop 3 is the flute, stop 4 the dulciana, stop 5 the stopped diapason, and the stop 6 the salicional. The pipes in each of said stops communicate at their lower ends with air-ports 7, which extend through the top of the wind-chest 1, and all ofthe ports corresponding to each stop communicate with air-passages 8, that are formed in vertical partitions 9, arranged parallel with one another in the wind-chest. Said passages 8 at their lower ends are deflected horizontally, as indicated at 8, the ends of the horizontal portion of said passages being controlled by valves 10. Each valve 10 is mounted on the upper end of a lever 11, which is pivoted intermediate its ends, as at 12, to the partition 9, the lower end of said lever being connected to a iiexible diaphragm 13, as indicated at 14, said diaphragm being arranged in a circular mortise 15, formed in one side of the partition. The valve 1() is normally held to its seat over the end of the passage 8/ by a spring 16.

It will of course be understood by those skilled in the art that there will be one such valve as above described for each note in each stop. As before stated, the wind-chest 1 is constantly supplied with air under pressure, and the partitions 9 extend across the wind-chest, as is most clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the air-pressure being admitted from a wind-conductor (not shown) extending across the end of said wind-chest and common to all of said valves. It will be obvious, therefore, that if one of the valves 10 be opened the compressed air in the windchest will be permitted to escape through the passage 8 and into and out of the organ-pipe corresponding thereto and will cause said pipe to speak.

Leading from the chamber 15 is a channel 17, that communicates at its lower end with an air-duct 18, formed transversely in the partition 9, and loosely mounted in said air-duct is the stem 19 of a duplex valve, said stem being provided at its opposite ends, respectively, with disks ZO and 21, which constitute valves adapted to close the opposite ends of the air-duct 18, the length of the stem 19 being such that one of said valves may be closed at a time-that is to say, when the valve 21, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, is in a position to close the corresponding end of the IOO air-duct the valve 2O will be unseated and will therefore open the adjacent end of the airduet. Arranged on opposite sides of the partition 9 of each stop are stop-chambers 22 and 23, each of which is common to all the sixty-one notes or organ-pipes included in such stop. supplied with air under pressure from the bellows (not shown) and through ports 24 and 25, respectively, communicate with air-passages 26 and 27, said ports being adapted to be cut oil by puppet-valves 28 and 29, as hereinafter described. The passages 26 and 27 communicate with the channel 17 through the medium of the air-duct 18 and through the medium of passages 26a and 27 il, respectively, communicate with channels 30 and 31, which are common to the same note of all the stopsthat is to say, there will be one set oi' such channels 3() and 31 for each note of all the stops. For example, the channels 30 and 31 are common to the note C in the tinte, dulciana, stopped diapason, and salicional stops. One ofthe channels-as 30, for example-will be controlled from the great-organ manual, and the other channel 31 will be controlled from the swell-manual, as will more fully be hereinafter explained.

The numeral 32 indicates a pneumatic that communicates by an air-passage 33 with the channel 30. Said pneumatic is provided with a port 34, that opens to the atmosphere, and said port is controlled by a valve 35, that is mounted on a stem 36, said stem being connected to a ieXible diaphragm 37, which is disposed in a chamber 38, formed in said pneumatic. The pneumatic is normally supplied with compressed air from the organ-bellows and operates to hold the valve 35 closed against the port 34, whereby the channel 30 will normally be iilled with compressed air. rlhe chamber 38 of the pneumatic 32 communicates by a passage 39 with a pneumatic 40, said pneumatic being provided with a port 41, opening to the atmosphere, said port being controlled by a valve 42, that is carried by an armature 43. The said armature is arranged opposite the poles of an electromagnet 44, which is mounted within the pneumatic 40. The pneumatic 40 is normally supplied with compressed air from the organbellows, whereby the valve 42 is normally held closed against the port 41. The pneumatics 40 and 32 are of well-known construction, and the specific construction shown for ms no part of the present invention. Communicating with the stop-chamber 22 by means ot' a pipe 44 is a pneumatic 45, provided with a port 46, opening` to the atmosphere, said port being controlled by a valve 47, the stem of which is connected to aliexible diaphragm 48. The space behind the diaphragm 48 is connected by a passage 49 with a pneumatic 50, identical 1n construction with the pneumatic 40 before referred to, the valve 51 of Said stop-chambers are normally sorgere said pneumatic being controlled by an electromagnet 52. The stop-chamber 23 communicates with a pneumatic 53, which is controlled by a pneumatic 54, the valve in said last-mentioned pneumatic being operated by an electromagnet 55, the construction and arrangement of the pneumatics 53 and 54 being identical in construction with and corresponding in arrangement to the pneumatics and described.

The numeral 56 indicates an electric battery, and numerals 57 and 58, respectively, indicate the keys of the swell and great organ manuals, each of said keys being adapted to close the terminals of an electric circuit. For the purpose o't' illustration I have shown two 'contacts 59 and 60 arranged adjacent to the inner end of each of the keys, said centacts when the corresponding key is depressed being bridged by a metallic strip 61, attached to the inner end of such key. rl`he contact 60 of the great-organ key 58 is connected by a wire 62 to the positive pole oi the battery, and the adjacent contact 59 is connected by the wire 64 to one terminal o't' the electromagnet 44, the other terminal of said magnet being connected by the wire 65 with the neg'ative pole of the battery. It will be obvious, therefore, that it' a key 58 of the great-organ manual be depressed the circuit will be closed through the contacts 59 and 60, thus energizing the magnet 44, which will then operate to attract its armature 43 and withdraw the valve 42 from the port 41. The air will thus be drained from 4behind the diaphragm 37, and the pressure of air within the pneumatic 32 will force said diaphragm to the leit, withdrawing the valve 35 from the port 34, thereby putting the channel 30 in communication with the atmosphere.

One terminal or' the electromagnet 52 is connected by a wire 63 to one member 67 of a circuit-closer, the other member 68 of said circuit-closer being connected by the wire 69 to the positive pole otl the battery. The other terminal of said electromagnet 52 is connected to the wire 65, leading to the negative pole of the battery. The terminals 67 and 68 arc adapted to be closed by a register 7l, which is provided with a shank 72, formed of insulating material and having iixed to its end a metallic head 74, so that when the register 71 is drawn out the metallic head 74 will engage both the contacts 67 and 68 and close the circuit. Then the circuit is closed, the magnet IOO IZO

52 will be energized, thereby withdrawing the the electromagnet 52. When this has been done, the stop-chamber 22 will be drainedthat is to say, will be in communication with the atmosphere in the manner before described. The pressure inthe channel 30 will now operate to throw the Valve 28 to the left, thus putting the passages 26 and 26 in communication. If a key 58 on the great-organ manual be now struck, it will close the circuit through the contacts 59 and 60, thereby energizing the magnet 44, which will place the channel 30 in communication with the atmosphere in the manner before described, whereupon the air on the left of the diaphragm will be vented through passages 17, 18, 26, 26, and 30. The wind -chest 1 being' filled with compressed air, the preponderance of pressure will operate upon the iiexible diaphragm 13 to move the valve 10 away from its seat, thus causing the organ-pipe 3 to speak. The operation of pneumatic 13 is not affected by the air in stop-chamber 23, as the compressed air in said stop-chamber 23 operates to `force the valve 25 to its seat against the adjacent end of the air-duct 27 and will also force the valve 21 laterally to one side, closing the communication with the port 17. If it be desired to cause the same note in the same stop to speak from the swell-manual, it is merely necessary to depress the key 57 of Y the swell-manual, thereby bridging the contacts 59 and 60 adjacent to the inner end of said key, it being assumed, ofcourse, that the stop 80 has been drawn out to put the swellmanual into communication with the flutestop by venting the stop-chamber 23. When this has been done and the key 57 has been depressed, the circuit will be completed from the positive pole of the battery through the wire 65 and contacts 59, 60, and 61 and the wire 76 to the electromagnet 83, which is arranged in the pneumatic 84 and constructed identically like the pneumatic 40, previously described. This pneumatic will control a pneumatic 85, corresponding .to the pneumatic 32 on the great-organ manual. The depression of the key 57 will thus place the channel 31 in communication with the atmosphere. The register 80, however, being pulled out, a portion of the current will be diverted by wire 88 to and through the register 80 and by wire 89 to the electromagnet 55 in the pneumatic 54 and by the common return-wire 65 to the negative pole of the battery. The magnet 55 will then open the valve 54, and thus place the stop-chamber 23 in communication with the atmosphere through the pneumatic 53, whereupon the preponderance of pressure in the wind-chest 1 will cause the diaphragm 13 to collapse, thereby opening the valve 10 and sounding the note in the fintestop 3. It will thus be seen that the note on the flute-stop 3 maybe played from either the swell-manual or the great-organ manual without the employment of a coupler, it being merely necessary to draw out the proper registers to place either manual in communication with the {inte-stop and strike the key.

I have described merely the relation between the pneumatics and one stop; but it will of course be evident by referring to Fig. 1 oi' the drawings that each stop is provided with a set or series of pneumatics arranged to operate in the manner hereinbefore described and that by pulling out either one of the registers shown in said figure of the drawings a corresponding stop will be operably connected with the manuals. For example, by pulling out the stops 71 and 86 any one of the keys of the great-organ manual will be enabled to cause a note to simultaneously sound on the flute-stop 3 and the dulciana-stop 4, and it' the stop 8O be drawn out and the stop 87 be also drawn out and a. key be struck upon the swell-manual a note will be sounded that will combine the iiute and salicional stops. By the proper manipulation of the stops the combination that may be formed or grouped together is almost infinite, and these combinations may be eifected with relation to either the swell-manual or the great-organ manual at will. For example, by drawing out the proper registers the flute and salicional stops may be played from the swell-manual and the flute and stopped diapason may be played 'from the great-organ manual. In other words, by the arrangement shown and described any one or all the stops may be played from the swell manual and from the greatorgan manual, or separate combinations may be played from one manual and another separate and distinct combination of stops may be played 'from the other manual.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an organ the combination of a windchest, a pneumatic valve arranged therein and controlling one of the organ-pipes, a windway controlling said valve, two outlets for said windway, a duplex valve and puppetvalves controlling' said outlets, and a channel for each of said outlets, substantially as described.

2. In a pipe or reed organ, a single set of pipes or reeds, and a single set oi' pneumatically-actuated valves having diaphragms connected therewith combined with channels in the bottom board and duplicate-stop windchambers, adapted to be vented by draw-stops, and valves, channels and a duplex valve, for automatically establishing communication between the valve-actuating diaphragm and channel in the bottom board, when a stop is on and a key depressed.

3. In a pipe or reed organ, in combination, a sto) rib or bar, having a wind-passage, leading from the wind-chest to the pipe or reed, a pivoted valve-lever, a diaphragm-chamber in said rib or bar, a ilexible diaphragm covering such chamber, and connected to the IIO lower end of the Valve-lever, a passage leading from the diaphragm-chamber, a Conduit in open communication with said passage, a duplex valve arranged in the said conduit, passages communicating with opposite ends oi the said conduit, channels in the bottom board, Wind-Chambers having openings, and puppet-valves, and openings, leading` from the passages to the channels in the bottom board.

4L. In a pipe or reed organ, a pipe or reed, duplicatestop Wind-chambers adapted to be vented by draw-stops, separate air-channels from botb of which the pipe may be sounded,' Valve-Controlled passages between the stop Wind-Chambers and said separate air-channels,

my hand in presence of two subscribing,- Witnesses.

ERNEST M. SKINNER. Witnesses:

H. D. KIMBALL, THEO. J ILSE. 

